Stela 2, showing the date of 7.16.3.2.13, or December 36 BCE, the earliest Mesoamerican Long Count calendar date yet found.

0036 BC Earliest known Mayan inscription, Stela 2 at Chiapa de Corzo This stela portrays Chaan Maun preparing for a ritual bloodletting ceremony done to communicate with deceased ancestors. He is assisted by his mother [on the right] and his wife, the sister of Shield Jaguar of Yaxchilan. His mother is handing him a sting-ray spine and a bowl of paper strips. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiapa_de_Corzo_(Mesoamerican_site)en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_stelae

Saint Ambrose with scourge and book, a painting in the church of San Giuseppe alla Lungara, Rome

0374 Early Church Father, Ambrose, 34, was consecrated Bishop of Milan, Italy. His influential works on theology and ethics made Ambrose (along with Jerome, Augustine, and Gregory the Great) one of the "four doctors" of the Western (Latin) Church. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ambrose

St Cyril I, the 24th Pope of Alexandria

0430 At the Synod of Rome, Cyril of Alexandria, 54, formally condemned the doctrine of the Antiochene monk Nestorius, who had claimed that there were two separate Persons in the Incarnate Christ (one Divine, the other Human). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyril_of_Alexandria

Solidus of Justin II

574 Emperor Justin II retires due to recurring seizures of insanity, he abdicates the throne in favor of his general Tiberius and proclaims him Caesar.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_II

Philip I

1539 Believing bigamy to be preferable to divorce, Martin Luther and Philipp Melanchthon gave Philip of Hesse (1504-1567) permission to marry a second wife.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_of_Hesse

1661 Under pressure from the British Parliament, the Massachusetts Bay Colony suspended the Corporal Punishment Acts of 1656, which imposed harsh penalties on Quakers and other religious Nonconformists.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Massachusetts_Bay_Colony

1703 The Great Storm of 1703, the greatest windstorm ever recorded in the southern part of Great Britain, makes landfall. Winds gust up to 120 mph, and 9,000 people die.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Storm_of_1703

1787 Delaware becomes the first state to ratify the United States Constitution.We, the deputies of the people of the Delaware state, in Convention met, having taken in our serious consideration the Federal Constitution proposed and agreed upon by the deputies of the United States in a General Convention held at the city of Philadelphia, on the seventeenth day of September, in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty-seven, have approved, assented to, ratified, and confirmed, and by these presents do, in virtue of the power and authority to us given, for and in behalf of ourselves and our constituents, fully, freely, and entirely approve of, assent to, ratify, and confirm, the said Constitution. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delaware#American_Revolution

1869 American outlaw Jesse James commits his first confirmed bank robbery in Gallatin, Missouri - kills 1. Shortly after noon on December 7, 1869, Frank and Jesse James walked into the Daviess County Savings Association in Gallatin, Missouri. There were two men inside the modest one-story building; the bank cashier and a lawyer named William McDowell. One of the robbers, possibly Jesse, walked up to the cashier and asked to have a $100 banknote changed. As the cashier wrote out a receipt, the robber drew his revolver and fired two shots, one into the man's chest and another into his forehead. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesse_James

Picture of an unidentified New York Mutual player

1876 New York Mutuals & Philadelphia A's expelled from NL for not completing schedule. The Mutuals and Athletics failed to make their last western swing of 1876. Both claimed that it was a financial hardship at the end of a tough year. The Athletics, in particular, claimed that injuries, heavy debts and strong competition for local entertainment dollars forced them from completing the league schedule. They were even willing to accommodate the other teams by giving them 80% of the gate if they would come to Philadelphia and play. Their opponents refused. In actuality, each had been eliminated from the pennant race and felt they could make more money with fewer costs by playing exhibition games closer to home. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_League#Charter_franchises_.281876.29en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_York_Mutuals

Photograph of Edison with his phonograph (2nd model), taken in Mathew Brady's Washington, DC studio in April 1878.

1877 Thomas A Edison demonstrates the gramophone This first device was crude, using a diaphragm with a sharp point to etch variable-depth indentations in tinfoil wrapped around a hand-cranked cylinder, and the sound was replayed by a lighter diaphragm/needle combo tracking those same grooves. The cylinders were not removable, although Edison proposed removable foil sheets that could be reproduced by creating masters from Plaster of Paris molds. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Edison#Beginning_his_career

1909 Leo Baekeland, Yonkers NY, patents first thermosetting plastic (Bakelite) In 1907, while experimenting to find a substitute for shellac, Baekeland produced the first thermoset plastic, a synthetic substance he called Bakelite. The extraordinary resin was so soft that it could be molded into shape and then permanently hardened under extreme pressure. A manufacturer's dream, it was quick and inexpensive to work with, would not catch fire or break, and did not conduct electricity. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Baekeland

1911 National Hockey Association forms with New Westminister, Vancouver & Victoria. Until 1910, professionals and amateurs were allowed to play together on "mixed teams," but this arrangement ended with the formation of the first "big league," the National Hockey Association, in eastern Canada in 1910. The Pacific Coast League was organized in 1911 for western Canadian hockey. The league included Seattle and later other American cities. The National Hockey League replaced the National Hockey Association in 1917. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Hockey_Association

1925 Swimmer Johnny Weissmuller set a world record in the 150-yard freestyle. His time was 1 minute, 25 and 2/5 seconds at the meet in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Weissmuller won five gold medals as a swimmer at the 1924 and 1928 Olympics, setting many free-style records. Weissmuller appeared in several sports shorts, then was hired by MGM to play Tarzan onscreen. Beginning in 1932, he starred in 12 "Tarzan" adventures. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Weissmuller

1926 Gas refrigerator patented. In 1926, the first U.S. patent for a household refrigerator, operating on gas, was issued to The Electrolux Servel Corporation. The gas-heat driven absorption refrigerator was invented by Swedish engineering students Carl G. Munters and Baltzar von Platen. The new concept avoided the use of toxic gases such as sulphur dioxide, methyl chloride, and ammonia gases, used in earlier mechanical compressor home refrigerators since 1918.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Absorption_refrigerator

1926 Keebler was trademark registered. The Keebler bakery grew quickly after its founding in 1853. Once the automobile arrived, Keebler products were delivered beyond the neighborhood and the concept of regional distribution began. Keebler then became a part of the United Biscuit Company of America in 1926 and by 1944, there were 16 bakeries across the country from Philadelphia to Salt Lake City. In 1966, Keebler Company became the official corporate name and Keebler the single brand name for all products. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keebler_Company

1930 W1XAV in Boston, Massachusetts broadcasts video from the CBS radio orchestra program, The Fox Trappers. The broadcast also includes the first television commercial in the United States, an advertisement for I.J. Fox Furriers, who sponsored the radio show.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W1WX

SS Conte di Savoia lying at anchor at Genoa

1932 First gyro-stabilized vessel to cross the Atlantic arrives in New York In 1932, the first gyro-stabilized vessel to cross the Atlantic, the Conte di Savoia of the Italian Line, arrived in New York City. The ship had 48,502 gross tons, overall length 814.6ft x beam 96.1ft, two funnels, two masts, four screws and a speed of 27 knots. As one of the first ships to be fitted with gyro-stabilizers, it was claimed that rolling was limited to a maximum of three degrees. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SS_Conte_di_Savoia

1934 Wiley Post discovers the jet stream. Post planned flights to test the "thin air" in the stratosphere above 50,000 feet. The Winnie Mae, made of plywood, could not be pressurized so Post developed the pressurized flying suit, forerunner of the modern space suit. Made by B.F. Goodrich, it was of double ply rubberized parachute fabric, with pigskin gloves, rubber boots, and aluminium helmet, pressurized to 0.5 bar. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wiley_Posten.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jet_stream#Discovery

1937 Red Sox acquire the contract of 19-year-old Ted Williams The Red Sox' Ted Williams was one of baseball's greatest hitters. Combining keen vision with quick wrists and a scientific approach to hitting, he set numerous batting records despite missing nearly five full seasons due to military service and two major injuries. His accomplishments include a .406 season in 1941, two Triple Crowns, two MVPs, six American League batting championships, 521 home runs, a lifetime average of .344, 17 All-Star game selections, and universal reverence. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Williams

Photograph from a Japanese plane of Battleship Row at the beginning of the attack. The explosion in the center is a torpedo strike on the USS Oklahoma. Two attacking Japanese planes can be seen: one over the USS Neosho and one over the Naval Yard.

1941 World War II: Attack on Pearl Harbor - The Imperial Japanese Navy attacks the United States Pacific Fleet and its defending Army Air Forces and Marine air forces at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, causing a declaration of war upon Japan by the United States. Japan also invades Malaya, Thailand, Hong Kong, the Philippines, and the Dutch East Indies at the same time (December 8 in Asia).

The Americans were taken completely by surprise. The first attack wave targeted airfields and battleships. The second wave targeted other ships and shipyard facilities. The air raid lasted until 9:45 a.m. Eight battleships are damaged, with five sunk. Three light cruisers, three destroyers and three smaller vessels were lost along with 188 aircraft. The Japanese lose 27 planes and five midget submarines which attempted to penetrate the inner harbor and launch torpedoes. Escaping damage from the attack were the prime targets, the three U.S. Pacific Fleet aircraft carriers,Lexington, Enterprise andSaratoga, which were not in the port. Also escaping damage are the base fuel tanks. The casualty list included 2,335 servicemen and 68 civilians killed, with 1,178 wounded. Included are 1,104 men aboard the Battleship USS Arizonakilled after a 1,760-pound air bomb penetrated into the forward magazine causing catastrophic explosions. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Attack_on_Pearl_Harbor

Ward in disruptive camouflage

1941 First Japanese submarine sunk by a US ship (USS Ward) While patrolling Pearl Harbor Entrance on Sunday, December 7, 1941, the U.S.S. Ward attacked an unidentified submarine in the Restricted Area off the Harbor. At 0645 the Ward opened fire with No. 1 and 3 guns and began dropping depth charges. One shot was fired from each gun. The shot from No. 1 gun missed, passing directly over the conning tower. The shot from No. 3 gun fired at a range of 560 yards or less struck the submarine at the waterline which was the junction of the hull and coning tower. Damage was seen by several members of the crew. This was a square positive hit. There was no evidence of ricochet. The submarine was seen to heel over to starboard. The projectile was not seen to explode outside the hull of the submarine. There was no splash of any size that might results from an explosion or ricochet. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Ward_(DD-139)

Raisins when overcooked in a microwave produce considerable smoke.

1945 Microwave oven patented. The task of designing and building the new oven went to Marvin Bock, a young Raytheon engineer. Making a device for sale to the general public was something new for Raytheon; most of its equipment was built to be run by trained specialists, like military officers, who could be trusted to read the manual and handle an instrument carefully. But the oven would have to be much more foolproof than any military device if it was going to be put to work in restaurants, which were seen as its main market. Operation had to be as automatic as possible, for many users would be short-order cooks, and Bock also had to anticipate that most of them would experiment with it. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microwave_oven

"Forget not that you're in Jǔ" - a rock in Quemoy Island with Chiang Kai-shek's admonition to ROC fighters to not retreat and to retake mainland China

1949 Chinese Civil War: The government of Republic of China moves from Nanking to Taipei, Taiwan. Chiang Kai-shek flees to Taiwan. In this tumultuous climate, after the defeat of the KMT in 1949, Chiang Kai-shek evacuated the government of the Republic of China to Taiwan and declared Taipei the provisional capital of China. Accompanying his retreat were some 2 million refugees from mainland China, adding to the earlier population of approximately 6 million. Because of the fear of the spread of Communism during the Cold War, the Republic of China on Taiwan was at first seen by the Western world, meaning mainly the United States and its allies, as "Free China." en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_China_(1912%E2%80%9349)en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_Civil_War#Resumed_fighting_.281946.E2.80.931950.29

1952 "My Little Margie," made its debut on CBS radio. Starring Gale Storm and Charles Farrell, "My Little Margie" presented 21 year-old Margie Albright, who lived with her widowed father Vernon in a New York City penthouse. Mr. Albright worked as an executive for the investment counseling firm Honeywell & Todd, and was perpetually in fear of losing "the big account" because of Margie's meddling. In an unusual move, "My Little Margie" began a radio series in December 1952, a little more than two months after the first TV series had finished. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Little_Margie

1956 Helen O'Connell joins the Today Show panel. In 1950 O'connell began a successful solo career, making occasional records, appearing regularly on television (she spent a period as co-host of The Today Show), toured as part of Four Girls Four (which also included Kay Starr, Rosemary Clooney and Rose Marie) and made guest appearances with the Jimmy Dorsey ghost band, singing in an unchanged style. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Today_(U.S._TV_program)en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_O%27Connell

1957 "April Love" by Pat Boone topped the charts. Between 1956 and 1963, Boone made some 54 chart appearances, many of them with two-sided hits; his biggest smashes included the number one records "Don't Forbid Me," "Love Letters in the Sand" and "April Love," all three issued in 1957. That year he also began hosting his own ABC television series, The Pat Boone-Chevy Showroom; he also conquered film, starring in 15 features including 1957's Bernadine and April Love. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_Love_(song)

1988 Spitak Earthquake: In Armenia an earthquake measuring 6.9 on the Richter scale kills more than 25,000, injures 30,000 and leaves 500,000 homeless out of a population of 3,500,000.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1988_Armenian_earthquake

1992 Galileo spacecraft passes North Pole of Moon (Peary Crater) Galileo is to robotic planetary science missions what Apollo 13 was to manned exploration, only better. After all the near disasters and heroic improvisation, the spacecraft and its probe have accomplished their primary goal and made it to Jupiter. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_(spacecraft)

1995 NBA settles strike of referees, referees to return on December 12

1995 The Galileo spacecraft arrives at Jupiter, a little more than six years after it was launched by Space Shuttle Atlantis during Mission STS-34. After 6 years years of travel including a flyby of Venus and two asteroids, Gaspra and Ida, it entered orbit . The orbiter had also carried an atmospheric probe with scientific instruments, which it had released from the main spacecraft in Jul 1995, five months before reaching Jupiter Galileo then spent a further 8 years examining Jupiter and its moons Io and Europa.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galileo_(spacecraft)

2005 Rigoberto Alpizar, a passenger on American Airlines Flight 924 who allegedly claimed to have a bomb, is shot and killed by a team of U.S. federal air marshals at Miami International Airport.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rigoberto_Alpizar

The only known depiction of Jack Jouett made while he was living, a silhouette by his son, Matthew

1754 Jack Jouett American patriot, politician and a hero of the American Revolution, known as the "Paul Revere of the South" for his late night ride to warn Thomas Jefferson, then the Governor of Virginia, and the Virginia legislature of coming British cavalry who had been sent to capture them.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Jouett

1847 Solomon Schechter US Talmudic scholar/Jewish leader. Moldavian-born Romanian rabbi, academic scholar, and educator, most famous for his roles as founder and President of the United Synagogue of America, President of the Jewish Theological Seminary of America, and architect of the American Conservative Jewish movement. (d 19 November 1915)en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solomon_Schechter

1863 Richard Warren Sears, American businessman, co-founded Sears who achieved recognition for her novels of frontier life on the Great Plains, including O Pioneers! (1913), The Song of the Lark (1915), and My Ántonia (1918). In 1923 she was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for One of Ours (1922), a novel set during World War I. (d. 1914)en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Warren_Sears

1888 Matthew Heywood Campbell Broun (d December 18, 1939) American journalist. He worked as a sportswriter, newspaper columnist, and editor in New York City. He founded the American Newspaper Guild, now known as The Newspaper Guild. Born in Brooklyn, New York, he is best remembered for his writing on social issues and his championing of the underdog. He believed that journalists could help right wrongs, especially social ills.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heywood_Broun

1904 Clarence Nash, American voice actor. He is best known for the Disney cartoon character Donald Duck, whose distinctive voice he provided for 50 years. He was born in the rural community of Watonga, Oklahoma, and a street in that town is named in his honor. He was also the original voice for Tom in Tom and Jerry. (d. 1985)en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clarence_Nash

1905 Gerard Kuiper, Dutch–American astronomer, planetary scientist, selenographer, author and professor. He is the eponymous namesake of the Kuiper belt. Kuiper is considered by many to be the father of modern planetary science. (d. 1973)en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gerard_Kuiper

1915 Leigh Brackett, American author and screenwriter, particularly of science fiction. She was also a screenwriter, known for her work on such films as The Big Sleep (1945), Rio Bravo (1959), The Long Goodbye (1973) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980). (d. 1978)en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leigh_Brackett

1915 Eli Wallach, American film, television and stage actor whose career spanned more than six decades, beginning in the late 1940s. Trained in stage acting, which he enjoyed doing most, he became "one of the greatest 'character actors' ever to appear on stage and screen," states TCM, with over 90 film credits. On stage, he often co-starred with his wife, Anne Jackson, becoming one of the best-known acting couples in the American theater. (d June 24, 2014) en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eli_Wallach

1923 Ted Knight, American actor and voice artist well known for playing the comedic roles of Ted Baxter in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Henry Rush in Too Close for Comfort, and Judge Elihu Smails in Caddyshack. (d. 1986)en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ted_Knight

1928 Noam Chomsky, American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, historian, social critic, and political activist in Philadelphia.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noam_Chomsky

1930 Hal Smith, American former professional baseball player. He was a utilityman — a catcher, third baseman and first baseman — in Major League Baseball from 1955 to 1964 who played for five different teams, but is best known for his key role during the 1960 World Series as a member of the Pittsburgh Pirates.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hal_Smith_(infielder)

1932 Ellen Burstyn, (born Edna Rae Gillooly) American actress best known for her roles in films of the 1970s, such as The Last Picture Show, The Exorcist, and Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, for which she won an Academy Award. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ellen_Burstyn

1932 Rosemary Rogers, Sri Lankan-American best-selling author of historical romance novels. Her first book, Sweet Savage Love, was published in 1974. She was the second romance author, after Kathleen Woodiwiss, to have her novels published in trade paperback format. Both writers found their initial success working with editor Nancy Coffey who was then with Avon Books. Rogers is considered to be one of the founders of the modern historical romance, and many of today's writers cite her writing as one of their biggest influences.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosemary_Rogers

1937 Thad Cochran, American politician and attorney who served as a United States Senator from Mississippi from 1978 to 2018. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1973 to 1978. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thad_Cochran

1941 Melba Pattillo Beals, American a journalist and college educator who is widely-known as a member of the Little Rock Nine, a group of African-American students who were the first to integrate Little Rock Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Melba_Pattillo_Beals

1942 Alex Johnson, American professional baseball outfielder. Between 1964 and 1976, he played in Major League Baseball for the Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Cincinnati Reds, California Angels, Cleveland Indians, Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, and Detroit Tigers. He was the National League Comeback Player of the Year in 1968 and an American League All-Star and batting champion in 1970. His brother, Ron, was an NFL running back, notably for the New York Giants. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Johnson

1979 Paulette Jordan (born December 7, 1979) American politician who had served in the Idaho House of Representatives as a member of the Idaho Democratic Party from December 1, 2014 until February 14, 2018. She previously served on the Coeur d’Alene Tribal Council, its sovereign government. During her final term she was the only Democrat serving in the Idaho Legislature from North Idaho. She is the Democratic nominee for Governor of Idaho in the 2018 election against incumbent Lieutenant Governor Brad Little. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paulette_Jordan

1949 Rex Beach, American author, playwright, and water polo player (b. 1877)

1966 Viola Jimulla (1878 – December 7, 1966) the Chief of the Prescott Yavapai tribe. She became Chief when her husband, who was also a Chief of the tribe, died in an accident in 1940. She remained Chief until her death. She was known for improving living conditions, and for her work with the Presbyterian Church. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viola_Jimulla

1969 Lefty O'Doul, American baseball player (b. 1897)

1970 Rube Goldberg, American cartoonist (b. 1883)

1975 Thornton Wilder, American playwright and novelist. He won three Pulitzer Prizes—for the novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey and for the two plays Our Town and The Skin of Our Teeth--and a U.S. National Book Award for the novel The Eighth Day(b. 1897)

1985 Potter Stewart, Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. During his tenure, he made, among other areas, major contributions to criminal justice reform, civil rights, access to the courts, and Fourth Amendment jurisprudence (b. 1915)en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potter_Stewart

2012 William F. House, American otologist, physician and medical researcher who developed and invented the cochlear implant. The cochlear implant is considered to be the first invention to restore not just the sense of hearing, but any of the absent five senses in humans. (b. 1923)en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_F._House

1962 Steve Reevis (August 14, 1962 – December 7, 2017) Blackfoot Native American actor. The role of Shep Proudfoot in the Academy Award-winning film Fargo (1996) is perhaps the best known performance by Reevis. [urlhttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Reevis][/url]

Holidays and observances

Christian Feast Day:

Ambrose of Milan, Pastor and Hymn Writer

Aemilianus (Greek Church)

Ambrose

December 7 (Eastern Orthodox liturgics)

Saints

Holy Apostle Tychicus (1st century)

Martyr Athenodorus of Mesopotamia (304)

Martyr Neophytus, by drowning.

Martyr Dometius, by the sword.

Martyrs Priscus, Martin, and Nicholas, near Blachernae.

Martyrs Isidore, Acepsimas, and Leo, by fire.

Martyrs Gaianos and Gaina, by fire.

Venerable Ammon, Bishop of Nitria (c. 350) (see also October 4)

Saint Ambrose of Milan, Bishop (Ambrose of Mediolanum) (397)

Holy Orthodox Woman Martyr, in Rome, by being burned alive, for refusing Arianism.

Holy Orthodox Martyrs burned in the Temple, in Carthage, by the Arians.

Holy 362 martyrs of Africa, martyred by the Arians:

Holy 300 martyrs of Africa martyred by the Arians, by beheading, under Huneric (c. 477-484)

Holy 60 Hieromartyrs, Priests, by having their tongues cut out (c. 474-476)